Latin America since the 1990s: Rising from the Sickbed?

Abstract

The first section of this paper compares Latin America's economic performance in the 1990s with the 1980s and finds definite macroeconomic and social progress during the decade. The following section considers the policy performance of the region during the 1990s and finds that, on a country-by-country basis, the nations of Latin America that were more active in carrying out Washington Consensus reforms also experienced better economic performance. The final section will argue that rather than seeking to reverse the economic reforms that have been carried out, Latin American nations should be thinking about how to extend and complement the existing reforms.